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Senate stall to blame for slow egg recall?

The Senate's failure to pass a food safety bill has hindered the FDA recall of 600 million eggs. |
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FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg made the network news rounds Monday morning, primarily to give advice on how to avoid sickness, but also to offer a plug for the bill that would greatly increase her bureau’s power.

“We are very anxious to see a piece of important legislation currently being considered by Congress be passed,” Hamburg told ABC News. “There is an opportunity through this legislation to extend our authority, resources and other important tools to do trace-back of products, to make sure the companies have the appropriate preventive measures in place and to enable us to review records in a routine way.”

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Though Reid consistently expressed his desire to pass the regulatory overhaul before recess — citing food safety each time he laid out his legislative wish list this spring and summer — the legislation got caught in both a time crunch and a push from industry lobbyists concerned over an amendment offered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

The California Democrat included a provision banning a chemical known as BPA, used as a softener for the plastic and lining in a wide array of bottles and cans. According to aides close to negotiations, the chemical industry claims they don’t know how to substitute for the controversial chemical and the Grocery Manufacturers of America and the Chamber of Commerce — both original supporters of the bill — threatened to oppose the legislation if Feinstein’s amendment stayed in.

A bipartisan coalition in the HELP Committee brokered a compromise to remove the language from their manager’s amendment and hold an up-or-down vote on the amendment. A Feinstein aide said Monday he expects an up-or-down vote on the measure and that a compromise could be brokered by limiting the scope of the language to focus on children’s products.

Still, Reid’s office would not commit solidly to bringing the bill to the floor when the Senate returns next month.

“It is on a list of items that are possible for consideration when we return in September,” said Reid spokeswoman Regan Lachappelle.

Democratic aides close to the bill, while cutting Reid slack because of the packed legislative calendar he has navigated the party through, see more urgency in the issue than that.

“This has been an issue that has had to contend with other important pieces of legislation — health care, Wall Street reform and unemployment to name a few — for the better part of a year,” an aide to a top Democrat said. “The bill passed the HELP Committee unanimously and has the support of the administration, consumer groups and industry. We are confident that this bipartisan bill will be considered after Labor Day.”

Olsen, citing broad bipartisan support and the compromise struck last week, said he cannot see a good reason for leadership to continue to keep the legislation off the floor.

“We feel that there is no reason this bill should not come to the floor as soon as they get back, and it's certainly urgently needed,” Olsen said. “We're pretty much on the 1-yard line of getting this passed.”

Everything gets either stuck or killed by politics in The US Senate? Why? The "secrete vote;" Fill'a-buster. The "K" Street /FOX Greed-Ads (GOP just want Power Back & Never want the work required to Govern) How long can American Voters Be Stupid?

Another sample of why "The Republican Party Needs To Be Out Of Power long enough to restructure as would a failed ban or bankrupt business."

"We The People" Need Two (2) Viable, Healthy, Solution-Based Political Parties, in 2010, we must let those wicked Democrats Keep "Cleaning Up Our Mess."

I think Obama should have went to the chicken farms. I mean everyone wanted him in the Gulf. Come on Conservatives there must be some type of whinning angle you can get going here about Obama going on vacation when there is a conspiracy by chickens to kill the world. Let's all chant together 'WHERE IS OBAMA" "WHERE IS OBAMA". And let's make sure he eats sunny side up eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It will be just like swimming in the gulf.

Recently I attended a Food Safety and Quality Summit in Harrisburg, PA. Most of the summit addressed the implications of passing S510 the Food Safety Bill. There is a lot of nonsense being offered as to how passage would have allowed the administration to prevent this or to hasten a recall. Total BS. There are so many far reaching implications in this bill that consevative estimates that it will take five years to be implemented after passage. When you consider the idea put forth by that lunatic from California to ban BPA it would do far more to harm food safety than help food safety.

So the drum will beat the rhythem of another enormous crises that can only be averted or prevented by another massive expansion of government. (is this a pattern?)

Is there room for improvement in the way we handle our food? Absolutely. Is the FDA and USDA doing their jobs to the best of their ability given the current laws they work with? Absolutely not. Do not be fooled by government that continues to claim that the only way to prevent such things is to give them more power and bigger departments. When everyone works for the governement how are we going to support ourselves?

"The Senate’s yearlong failure to pass a food safety overhaul has hampered the ability of Obama administration ......."

All we ever get from the government is excuses. It doesn't matter if it's the democrats or republicans in office, it's always some weak excuse. We pay far too much for the poor services provided by the government. It's not worth my tax money. Can I have these services discontinued?

After watching the movie Food Inc, I found out how lax the FDA's oversight of the food supply is. The politicians and lobbyists have sold us out. You'd be shocked at how much e coli, salmonella, feces, etc... you eat when you eat beef, pork, or chicken. They've even infected vegetables such as spinach. And all the reporting is voluntary! As are the recalls!

Furthermore, how long does it take to determine that a specific problem is the cause of a food bourne illness outbreak? Many people who have a food bourne illness don't even realize it, it is just considered an upset stomache or maybe a touch of the flu. It is very time consuming to determine if isolated incidents are truely an outbreak and the lag time between the onset and the determination can be considerable.

Most food bourne illnesses are a result of temperature abuse. Foods being stored at improper temperatures or not cooked to the proper temperature.

Typical response when you have government involved. We already know that the economy would be better off without a government-backed FDIC, FSLIC, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now we know that the same applies to the FDA. I would much rather have "independent" labs that egg producers would align with to really check on their products daily. Labs would compete for producers' business and the public would learn which labs have the best reputation for verifying the safety.

Typical response when you have government involved. We already know that the economy would be better off without a government-backed FDIC, FSLIC, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now we know that the same applies to the FDA. I would much rather have "independent" labs that egg producers would align with to really check on their products daily. Labs would compete for producers' business and the public would learn which labs have the best reputation for verifying the safety.

You can't trust these Marxists democrats do do anything, especially when it gives ANY Gov agency more power. As usual they are using scare tactics in a "crisis" to give themselves more power. The FDA is not elected and already has more power than they should have.

Don't give me that BS about our food being safer, the gov can't do anything right, conditions will be worse and cost more, that will be the end result of more gov power to regulate.

Screw them, the Marxist bumbling idiot in the White House and Marxists, Socialists and outright Communists people who he appoints do not need and can not be trusted with ANY more power what-so-ever!

Well, whoever blamed the GOP for this is about as smart as a 30 year old senior...in High School. This isn't about political parties anymore, get that through your small pea d brain! Both parties have their problems, but parties alone can not right this country. If you haven't had enough ineptitued from the GOP, then how about the "tax and spend" Dems? It doesn't matter anymore. It should be about putting the RIGHT people in office to "serve the people", you know, "We the People"!!! Only then can be be sure of the future! Getting the socialists, marxist, communists out of office should be our first priority. Reducing Government, making people less dependent on Government tax $$, and paying down the deficeit should be the next step. If elected officials are not willing to do that, then "recall" them, or vote them out! That simple...

Of course it's Harry Reid and the Goobermints fault. They had more important things like free healthcare, trillion dollar stimulus, takeover GM, bailout banks. Too many of those in secret dead of night Saturday midnight votes on junk the people didn't want. Why bother with jobs or food? After all the union bought CONgress only panders to their special interests.